Law enforcement officers around East Texas were startled to find one of their former brothers of the badge is scheduled to begin selling a video describing how to avoid getting caught when stopped by police looking for illegal substances.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph has learned that Barry Cooper, a former Gladewater and Big Sandy police officer, is scheduled to begin selling his DVD "Never Get Busted Again," Tuesday with the launch of a Web site and a full page advertisement in a national publication targeted toward those interested in illicit drugs.

Smith County Deputy Constable Mark Waters, a drug interdiction officer, said he was appalled at the idea of a former officer selling such a video.

"It's an embarrassment to all law enforcement officers across the United States, who put their life on the line every day," he said. "This is a slap in the face to all that we do to uphold the laws and keep the public safe."

Cooper, once "the best" drug officer in West Texas, according to his former superiors, told the newspaper during an interview Wednesday night that he believes marijuana should be legalized, and that the imprisonment of those caught with the drug destroys their families and fills up jails and prisons across the country with non-violent offenders.

He added that methamphetamines, cocaine and crack should be eradicated from the earth because they are dangerous drugs. But he says marijuana is not.

"I know I won't be accepted by my peers here in East Texas, but in other areas of the country I will be celebrated," he said in his office in Tyler. "When I was raiding houses and destroying families, my conscience was telling me it was wrong, but my need for power, fame and peer acceptance overshadowed my good conscience."

A three-minute promotion for the video shows Cooper in West Texas when he was assigned to the Permian Basin Drug Task Force being interviewed by media on large busts he made.

The promotion has Cooper saying he is going to show people through actual footage of his busts how to not get caught, how to "conceal their stash (do coffee grounds really work?)," "avoid narcotics profiling" and how to "fool canines every time."

Cooper, who has no disciplinary actions on his law enforcement record, left law enforcement to pursue the ministry and a successful business. He said he also felt pressure from other law enforcement agencies that were jealous of busts he made, and the political pressures associated with arresting a mayor's son and a city council member on drug charges.

Cooper argues that people are being sentenced to long prison terms for drugs when murderers, child molesters and rapists are getting shorter sentences.

"The trillions of dollars we're spending in the war on drugs should be used to protect our children," he said. "Our children are being molested every day and everyone knows we have lost the war on drugs."

Cooper believes marijuana should be legalized and regulated by the government which he says will cause the crime rate to drop. He points to Prohibition, America's failed experiment in outlawing alcoholic beverages. Prohibition merely empowered the criminals, he says, and that's just what's happening now with prohibited drugs.

"We have cops and other people getting killed, and I believe we could end all of that," he said. ...

Cooper's former commander with the Permian Basin Drug Task Force said he was "completely shocked."

Tom Finley, now a private investigator in Midland, said he was Cooper's boss in the 1990s and said Cooper was the best drug interdiction officer he had ever known.

"He was even better than he says he was," he said. "He had a knack for finding drugs and made more arrests, more seizures than all of the other agents combined. He was probably the best narcotics officer in the state and maybe the country during his time with the task force."

However, Finley said he was distraught to learn the video plans of his former "top cop."

"I'm definitely not in agreement with what he is doing here and I am all for getting the drug offenders off the streets and putting them behind bars," he said.

Cooper claims to have made more than 800 drug arrests and seized more than 50 vehicles and more than $500,000 in cash and assets. ...

Cooper said he does not agree with the current laws and hopes they change through legislation and sees this as a way to truly combat the nation's drug problems.

"My main motivation in all of this is to teach Americans their civil liberties, and what drives me in this is injustice and unfairness in our system," he said. "I'm just teaching them how to not ruin their lives by being put in a cage. I'm not creating the problem; it is already there."

Cooper said he knows there will be backlash from some, while others will agree with him.

"I challenge anyone who doesn't agree with me to a public debate to hear what I have to say and I bet some people will change their minds," he said. "But I'm sure some will think of me as the devil."

11 comments:

Barry Cooper is a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition or "LEAP", an org of cops, judges, prosecutors and others in the criminal justice system who call for an end to the Drug War. Other Texans include Dr. Michael Gilbert-asst. prof. at UTSA with a long background in corrections, Terry Nelson-a retired federal law enforcement official with an extensive Latin American career into drug interdiction and now retired to Granbury, and Dr. Richard Watkins-a retired Texas medium security prison warden, living in Huntsville.

It's possible- but not likely - that crack, cocaine and meth are "scourges that should be wiped off the face of the earth". This country has never established standards for drug restriction and has never done any serious scientific studies prior to criminalization or restriction of any drug.

It happens that marijuana barely satisfies the "potential for abuse" threshold established by the CSA - a standard that would wipe out the legal drug industry btw if strictly enforced. It also happens that crack and crystal meth are two of the most recent - but certainly not the last - drugs adapted by criminals to avoid detection by police.

The irony is that Cooper makes it even harder to detect drugs and arrest possessors. That provides incentives for chickens to invade more homes and for criminals to develop even more potent drugs to facilitate transport and concealment of their wares. And the codependency between chickens and criminals continues unabated with more drug task forces with more latitude to invade citizens' personal space. This is a redux of the Cold War military spending only with criminals and chickens instead of capitalists and communists who spend military bucks.

DEA has no jurisdiction in this matter. They are a single mission agency and the only subject matter they could look into would be if his video contained "classified" information he obtained from them.

Another charge may be obstruction of justice but that would fall under the FBI's jurisdiction since Cooper was a former cop.

Here's a little irony. DEA usually waits until the State and locals make a drug arrest. They hitch their federal wagon to the state and local star, exaggerate the details and claim they and their local partners have just DISMANTLED an entire multi state, poly drug organization.

To Anonymous; They did that before the Task Forces shut down and made more money than the task force agents. They're still having lunches;getting paid the big bucks for having it; and paying close attention to all of the task force Agents getting locked up.

This snitch thing is a revolving door and what comes around will certainly come around.

Barry Cooper's Is out for a buck at the expense of his former co-workers. People that smuggle marijuna are the same people that smuggle heroin, cocaine and meth. Barry will no doubt make the streets more dangerous for all law enforcement officers.The video will discuss blocking one's deceptive body language and how to hide evidence of criminal activity. With Barry's past experience as a preacher,he well knows what the bible says in regards to love of money, false witness and respect for authority. People should know that Barry couldn't make it as a used car salesman, a preacher, a bar owner or a peace officer. We'll see how he does as a film maker.

Unlike many who suffer as do their families because of this failed policy! Sad but most who make a living off this CASH COW, while enjoying the power trip, don't have time for common sense nor the truth! Like this for instance.

This year, over 400,000 people will die from tobacco!

This year, over 112,000 people will die from alcohol!

This year, over 32.000 people will die from legal drugs!

This year, "" ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS COMBINED " about 17,000 will die??? And 1.6 " MILLION " Americans and their families will be terrorized and ruined, while the terrorizing and deaths of INNOCENT Americans from infants to the elderly will be justified with NO ACCOUNTABILITY! 69 " BILLION " tax dollars will be used to harm instead of help???

"" NEVER "" in recorded history of this " PLANET ", has there ever been a death contributed to the overdose of marijuana! FACT!!! Yet it is the NUMBER ONE drug bust across this land!

If one uses common sense and the truth and facts, NOBODY can defend this failed policy and the harm it is doing, FACT!!!

While LEAP is in sympathy with millions of people who have their lives damaged or destroyed by the failed policy of drug prohibition, LEAP in no way endorses the violation of the law, or any efforts to frustrate the hard work of those sworn to uphold the law.

When former police officer Barry Cooper was accepted as a LEAP speaker the Executive Director and most Board members of LEAP were not aware of the fact that Mr. Cooper was planning to distribute a for-profit DVD titled, “Never Get Busted Again”. On learning of the sale of the DVDs LEAP, which is an international nonprofit educational organization, held a board meeting where it was decided that LEAP cannot in any way be associated with this enterprise.

Our speakers don’t earn a salary for the many hours they put in to educate the public about LEAP’s goals of ending drug prohibition. We have worked for four years to build our reputation based on ethics and integrity. The only reason people listen to us is because they believe we are unbiased and present the truth about the war on drugs. Much of that belief is based on the fact that we are not a moneymaking organization.

LEAP feels that Mr. Cooper could not speak for LEAP without his product automatically being associated with us. We cannot have that so we are no longer listing Barry Cooper as a LEAP speaker.

While LEAP is in sympathy with millions of people who have their lives damaged or destroyed by the failed policy of drug prohibition, LEAP in no way endorses the violation of the law, or any efforts to frustrate the hard work of those sworn to uphold the law.

When former police officer Barry Cooper was accepted as a LEAP speaker the Executive Director and most Board members of LEAP were not aware of the fact that Mr. Cooper was planning to distribute a for-profit DVD titled, “Never Get Busted Again”. On learning of the sale of the DVDs LEAP, which is an international nonprofit educational organization, held a board meeting where it was decided that LEAP cannot in any way be associated with this enterprise.

Our speakers don’t earn a salary for the many hours they put in to educate the public about LEAP’s goals of ending drug prohibition. We have worked for four years to build our reputation based on ethics and integrity. The only reason people listen to us is because they believe we are unbiased and present the truth about the war on drugs. Much of that belief is based on the fact that we are not a moneymaking organization.

LEAP feels that Mr. Cooper could not speak for LEAP without his product automatically being associated with us. We cannot have that so we are no longer listing Barry Cooper as a LEAP speaker.

[quote]While LEAP is in sympathy with millions of people who have their lives damaged or destroyed by the failed policy of drug prohibition, LEAP in no way endorses the violation of the law, or any efforts to frustrate the hard work of those sworn to uphold the law [/quote]

Rosa Parks had to break a law by refusing to sit at the back of the bus to get the law changed! I'll do anything legal to frustrate law enforcements efforts to destroy the lives of non-violent users!!! It's great that I am NON-PROFIT. I have no gov. influence on what I teach!

I'm not mad a LEAP though, just glad I can tell it! Smiles and thanks for all the support. So far thousands sold and only 5 returns...4 were cops!

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